Regional turboprop airliner · operating costs
ATR 42-600 Operating Costs and Cost per Hour
An ATR 42-600 costs about $10,000 an hour to operate at 200 hours a year: $1,179,000 a year fixed plus $4,134 per flight hour, itemised with sources.
CRAFT estimate, fuel priced October 4, 2026
At a glance
- Per flight hour at 200 hrs a year
- $10,027
- Per year at 200 hrs
- $2,005,466
- Fixed costs / year
- $1,178,666
- Variable / flight hour
- $4,134
- Jet A, $2,044/hr today
- Fuel burn
- 267 gal/hr
- 2 pilots and 1 flight attendant, paid
- Crew assumed
- 3 crew
CRAFT estimates in USD for a U.S.-based aircraft. How we estimate them is below; every line has its source.
What an ATR 42-600 costs per hour
The ATR 42-600 is a regional turboprop airliner with 48 seats, burning 266.9 gallons of Jet A an hour. In our estimate it costs $4,134 for every hour it flies and $1,178,666 a year whether it flies or not. Spread over 200 hours a year, that is about $10,027 a flight hour; over 100 hours, $15,921; over 400, $7,081.
The estimate assumes a paid crew: 2 pilots and 1 flight attendant. The largest single cost at 200 hours is crew salary, at $693,236 a year.
ATR 42-600 cost calculator
ATR 42-600 annual cost
$2,005,557 per year
$1,178,666 fixed + $4,134/hr × 200 hrs ($2,044/hr of it fuel: 266.9 gal at $7.66). About $10,028 per flight hour with the fixed costs spread over the hours. ATR 42-600, CRAFT estimate.
Fixed costs
What the ATR 42-600 costs a year before it flies an hour.
| Fixed costs | Per year | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Crew Salary | $693,236 | 1 captain at $232,140 (BLS median, airline pilots), 1 first officer at $182,280 (BLS 25th percentile, airline pilots), 1 flight attendant at $70,700 (BLS median, flight attendants in nonscheduled air transportation), plus 43% for benefits and payroll costs (BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026).Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (released May 15, 2026); BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026 (released September 9, 2026) |
| Crew TrainingEstimate, $50,000 to $90,000 | $70,000 | Recurrent training each year for 2 pilots, at $25,000 to $45,000 per pilot for a regional turboprop airliner. CRAFT estimate. |
| HangarEstimate, $27,660 to $175,200 | $101,430 | From Concord-Padgett's Dash 8 category hangar rate ($2,305 a month) to an ATR 72 footprint (89 x 89 ft) at Naples' $1.85 a square foot ($14,600). Airline fleets often park outside; the low end covers that: $2,305 to $14,600 a month. Big-city airports cost more, a tie-down much less.Source: Published airport hangar and tie-down rates (Concord-Padgett Regional, City of Concord NC; Naples Airport Authority FY2026) (read October 15, 2026) |
| InsuranceEstimate, $52,000 to $130,000 | $91,000 | Liability of $20,000 to $50,000 a year plus hull cover at 0.4% to 1% of a hull value of $8,000,000, a typical value for regional turboprop airliners, CRAFT estimate (no published price for this model). No broker publishes airliner premiums. CRAFT estimate: hull below BWI's 0.6% to 1.2% for turbine aircraft as values rise, liability for passenger limits. Midpoints used; pilot experience moves it a lot.Source: BWI Aviation Insurance, "How much is aircraft insurance? A complete 2026 cost breakdown" (January 4, 2026) |
| ManagementEstimate, $72,000 to $144,000 | $108,000 | A management company's fee of $6,000 to $12,000 a month for a regional turboprop airliner (crew, maintenance tracking, compliance and billing). CRAFT estimate.Source: Business Jet Traveler, "Is a management company right for you?" |
| Miscellaneous FixedEstimate, $80,000 to $150,000 | $115,000 | Navigation databases and charts, flight planning, maintenance tracking, operations control and office costs: $80,000 to $150,000 a year for a regional turboprop airliner. CRAFT estimate. |
| Total | $1,178,666 |
Variable costs
What each flight hour adds. Fuel is priced at $7.66 a gallon; every dollar a gallon moves the hourly cost by $267.
| Variable costs | Per flight hour | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel Cost | $2,044 | 266.9 gallons of Jet A an hour (ATR, ATR 42-600 factsheet (ATR), 1788 lb/h (811 kg/h) converted to US gal/h at 6.7 lb/gal. 'Fuel flow at cruise speed 811 kg/hr - 1,788 lb/h' at max cruise speed 300 KTAS, 95% MTOW, ISA, optimum FL. Both engines) at $7.66 a gallon, our estimated U.S. average FBO price for Jet A on 2026-10-04.Source: ATR, ATR 42-600 factsheet (ATR); CRAFT jet fuel price data |
| MaintenanceEstimate, $500 to $1,000 | $750 | Scheduled maintenance, parts, labor and unscheduled repairs for the airframe and avionics: $500 to $1,000 a flight hour for a regional turboprop airliner. Older aircraft sit at the top of the range. CRAFT estimate. |
| Engine OverhaulEstimate, $400 to $700 | $550 | An hourly reserve for the next engine overhaul: $200 to $350 per engine per hour for a regional turboprop airliner, for 2 engines. No published overhaul price for this engine, so a CRAFT estimate. |
| Crew/Landing/Handling FeesEstimate, $400 to $900 | $650 | Landing, ramp and handling fees and crew travel: $400 to $900 a flight hour for a regional turboprop airliner. CRAFT estimate. |
| Miscellaneous VariableEstimate, $80 to $200 | $140 | Cabin supplies, cleaning, catering and de-icing: $80 to $200 a flight hour. CRAFT estimate. |
| Total | $4,134 |
Annual cost at 100, 200 and 400 hours
| Hours a year | 100 hours | 200 hours | 400 hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed costs | $1,178,666 | $1,178,666 | $1,178,666 |
| Variable costs | $413,400 | $826,800 | $1,653,600 |
| Total a year | $1,592,066 | $2,005,466 | $2,832,266 |
| Per flight hour | $15,921 | $10,027 | $7,081 |
ATR 42-600 specs
- Class
- Regional turboprop airliner
- Engines
- 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127M
- Fuel
- Jet A
- Fuel burn
- 266.9 gal/hr
- Seats
- 48
- Cruise
- 300 kts
- Range
- 703 nm
- Max takeoff weight
- 41,005 lb
Specs: ATR, ATR 42-600 factsheet.
The ATR 42-600 compared with similar aircraft
Same method, same fuel prices, at 200 hours a year.
| Aircraft | Per hour | Per year | Fuel burn |
|---|---|---|---|
ATR 42-600Regional turboprop airliner | $10,027 | $2,005,466 | 266.9 gal/hr |
 ATR 72-600Regional turboprop airliner | $9,903 | $1,980,666 | 250.7 gal/hr |
How we estimate these costs
Every aircraft on our operating cost calculator is costed the same way: fixed costs a year plus a cost per flight hour, from public inputs. Crew pay comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, hangar rates from published airport schedules, insurance from a broker's published guidance, fuel from our fuel price data, and the fuel burn from ATR. Lines marked “estimate” are the midpoint of a stated range for regional turboprop airliners, not a quote. Nothing here comes from another cost calculator or a broker's budgets.
- Not included: the purchase price, financing, depreciation, sales tax, upgrades and paint or interior work, and any rental or charter income.
- What moves it most: hours flown (fixed costs spread thinner), the fuel price, where it is hangared, the pilot's experience (insurance) and the aircraft's age (maintenance).
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Frequently asked questions
How much does an ATR 42-600 cost per hour?
About $10,000 a flight hour flown 200 hours a year, in CRAFT's estimate: $4,134 an hour in direct costs (fuel, maintenance, engine and parts reserves, fees) plus $1,178,666 a year in fixed costs spread over the hours. Flown 100 hours it is about $16,000 an hour; flown 400, about $7,080.
How much does it cost to own an ATR 42-600 for a year?
About $2,005,000 a year flown 200 hours: $1,178,666 in fixed costs (crew salary, crew training, hangar, insurance, management, miscellaneous fixed) and $826,800 in hourly costs. The purchase price, financing and depreciation are not included.
How much fuel does an ATR 42-600 burn?
266.9 gallons of Jet A an hour (ATR, ATR 42-600 factsheet (ATR)). At $7.66 a gallon, the estimated U.S. average FBO price for Jet A on October 4, 2026, that is $2,044 a flight hour. Every dollar a gallon moves it by $267.
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